Fabric polishing machine



April 1968 5. J. MENICH 3,381,116

FABRIC POLISHING MACHINE Filed Sept. 5, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTC'JR STEPHEN JACOB MENICH BYM ATTORN EYS United States Patent Office 3,381,] 16 Patented Apr. 30, 1968 3,381,116 FABRIC POLISHING MACHINE Stephen J. Menich, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, assignor to Sutherland-Schultz Limited, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada Filed Sept. 3, 1965, Ser. No. 484,822 Claims priority, applicatioili ganada, Sept. 19, 1964,

1 5 Claims. (51. 219-470 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to heated rollers for polishing a synthetic pile material such as a rug fabric.

Rollers of this type are well known and are provided with grooves and/ or teeth on their outer surface and such rollers are rotated with the outer surface in frictional contact with a pile material, which frictional contact, in combination with the heat applied by the roller, effects a polishing or finishing action on the synthetic fabric.

In the past such rollers have been made in hollow form and heating elements are mounted in the cavity in the roller, and extending across it, heat the roller. Such an arrangement has, however, suffered from the disadvantage that the heating has been non-uniform across the roller width with the two ends of the roller being cooler than the centre due to end losses of heat from the roller, causing non-uniform effects by the roller on the synthetic fibres.

Attempts have been made to overcome non-uniformity of heating by providing auxiliary heating elements at each end but the design has, in the past, been such that the auxiliary heating element design and electrical connections have been inconvenient and ineffective without providing a uniformly heated element.

This invention provides auxiliary heating elements including a number of shortlengths extending from said end along said roller a short distance being a small proportion of the roller width, joined by lengths running in a direction about the axis of rotation, the said lengths being joined to form a single element of sinuous form and extending about each end of the roller.

In the preferred form of the invention, the sinuous auxiliary elements are placed outside the main elements.

In these ways, and by proper energization of the auxiliary and main heating elements it has been found that a degree of uniformity has been achieved, in heating across the roller, which exceeds that achievable with the designs of the prior art. In the past, it has also been common to fix the heating elements to the roller so that the elements rotate therewith. This has the disadvantage that the heating elements are subjected to the same vibration as the rotating roll which causes numerous maintenance problems. Further, rotation of the heating elements requires the use of a slip ring arrangement which is an added source of trouble due to commutating problems which are well known in the industry.

The above noted difliculties are avoided in the polishing roller in accord with this invention by holding the heating elements fixed within the rotating roller. The only rotary connection required is a slip ring assembly in the thermocouples which are located near the surface of the heated roll.

In the drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the roller in accord with the invention, with a portion in exploded form for clarity.

FIGURE 2 is a detail View of the heating element construction.

In the drawings FIGURE 1 shows a platform on which is to be conveyed a length of synthetic rug material generally indicated at 10. Rotatably mounted to act on this material when so conveyed is a roller 12 support on bearings 14. The shaft on which roller 12 is mounted is driven by any desired means such as by belt 16 from means not shown.

The roller 12 in cross section has a generally cylin drical outer slhape, interrupted by saw toothed shaped grooves 18 which preferably run with a slight spiral, across the roller, as shown.

The roller 12 is hollow and defines therein a cylindrical cavity which houses the heating means to be described. A plurality of heating rods 20 of conventional construction, extend across the roller. Such rods 20' are preferably grouped about a central shaft 19 fixed within the hollow shaft 21 of roller 12 and thus tend to fill the radially inner, but not the radially outer portion of the cavity. The central shaft 19 and the heating rods, as well as the auxiliary heating elements described hereinafter, are fixed in position so that the roller 12 rotates about them. In effect, therefore, the heating elements heat the air within the roller with the air, in turn, heating the roller. This arrangement of fixed heating elements avoids the complicated slip ring means providing electrical connection to the theaters of the polishing rollers of the prior art. Further, and as previously mentioned, fixing of the heater elements avoids the vibration problems common to the known devices.

The heating rods 20 are of standard manufacture and may be mounted in position by any desired means, such as by discs 24 mounted on the shaft 19, such discs 24 being provided with openings 26 to receive and mount the elements.

The periphery of such discs is provided with open ended wide slots 28 to receive an auxiliary heating element. At least one such auxiliary heating element is provided at each end of the roller 12 and is formed of a plurality of lengths 30 extending from adjacent the end of the roller 12, generally axially relative to the roller, for a short distance being a short proportion of the roller width. Such lengths 30 are contiguously joined, alternately at the inner and outer ends thereof by lengths 32 of the heating element extending about the axis adjacent the outer periphery of the cavity, each whole auxiliary heating element thus extending sinuously about one end of the roller and requiring only two terminal posts 34 and 36.

It has been found that the sinuous element is easy of manufacture and simple of installation. On the other hand, if an auxiliary heating element comprised a plurality of separate axially extending members, then the expense of providing terminal posts and connections for each of said members would be excessive. Moreover, it would be impractical and in some cases impossible to provide the then required number of terminal posts within the area of the end of such a roller. Moreover, with the inventive construction, both connections may easily be made at the end of the roll, while with a number of individual auxiliary elements, a number of connections might have to be made inside the roll, greatly increasing the inconvenience. "Further, because of the sinuous form of the element, the heating element may be brought as close to the end of the roll as desired.

As shown, the terminal leads 38 for the heating elements are connected by connector wires to into and through a hollow bore of shaft 19 to a connection (not shown) which in turn is connected to the desired source of electrical supply.

End plates 40 are provided for closing each end of the roller cavity as shown.

By control of the heating by the main and by the auxiliary heating elements, respectively the temperature of the surface of roller 12 may be made uniform across the width of the roll to an accuracy of about 2%, thus at normal operating temperatures up to 400 F. on the surface of the roll, the temperature variation has been less than 8 F.

The sinuous elements are easily arranged and may be provided by the manufacturer. The arrangement of the sinuous elements radially displaced from the main elements, allows easy removal and replacement of the main elements, and the auxiliary elements. The provision of the sinuous'elements radially outward of the main elements provides relatively sensitive temperature control of each end of the element. Moreover, it is not necessary to completely dismantle the roller to replace a sinuous auxiliary heater since the heaters and supporting discs may con veniently he slid out one end of the roller.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a polishing roller, comprising a hollow rotatable roller shell defining on the outside a polishing surface, and on the inside a cavity for the reception of electrical heating elements; a plurality of main heating elements fixed against rotation within said cavity for heating said roller across its width, and at each end of said roller, in said cavity, an auxiliary heating element of sinuous form also fixed against rotation including a number of short lengths extending a short distance from said end along said roller joined by lengths running about the axis of said roller, said latter lengths including a number of lengths positioned closely adjacent the ends of said roller.

2. In a device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said auxiliary heating elements at each end of said roller extend about said main heating elements.

3. In a device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said main heating elements are radially displaced from said auxiliary heating elements.

4. In a device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said auxiliary heating elements are each formed of a unitary member, thereby requiring only two connections with a power supply.

5. In a device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the two connections are made at the extreme outer ends of the roller.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,526,906 10/1950 Schaab et al. 219-469 3,119,603 1/1964 Schaab et al. 219-470 RICHARD M. WOOD, Primary Examiner.

L. H. BENDER. Assistant Examiner. 

